Mounting for vehicle accessories such as rearview mirrors and the like



D. E. REED,

Sept. 23, 1941.

MOUNTING FOR VEHICLE ACCESSORIES SUCH AS REARVIEW MIRRORS AND THE LIKEFiled Feb. 28, 1941 INIVENTOR Daniel Reed ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 23,1941 MOUNTING FOR VEHICLE accnssonms soon as anaavmw Mmnoas AND 'rnnLIKE Daniel E. Reed, Norwalk, Conn, assignor to Yankee Metal ProductsCorp., Nor-walk, Conn., a corporation of New York I Application February28, 1941, Serial No. 380,989 (c1. 241M276) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to automobile accessories, such as rearviewmirrors, and to mounting means for the same. It relates particularly toa novel ball-and-socket connection in the mounting means.

Heretofore rearview mirrors have been positioned on brackets by means ofball and socket joints which were tightened by means of threadedportions. However, difliculty has been experienced because thegravitational forces, the jolting of the automobile, and the frequentrepositioning of the mirror relative to the bracket have caused thethreaded portions to adversely loosen. This has not only beeninconvenient, but it has also been dangerous, inasmuch as the driver ofan automobile has not been able to see the traffic behind his carwhenever the mirror has thus been displaced from its correct position.Because the displacement of the mirror from its set position often hasnot been noticed until the need for the mirror has been urgent,

and because an emotional reaction of surprise and fear has resulted fromthe discovery of the drooping mirror, automobile accidents have beenand/or could be caused by such displacement of the mirror.

. Heretofore there have been ball and socket joints adapted to provideadequate freedom of movement for a mirror. However, it has been foundthat many of the ball and socket, joints now in use tend to loosen andwear out more quickly than desired when thus given the function ofenabling all the necessary adjustments for the mirror.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide anautomobile accessory mounting including a ball and socket joint, adaptedto provide very satisfactory adjustment of the accessory and which willnot loosen during extendeduse.

Other objects of the present invention are: to prolong the life of aspring seat in a mounting of the above type; to simplify the manufactureand assembly of a rearview mirror mounting device; to securely fasten ajoint memv ber to a mounting of the above type and to provide a durablemounting means permitting ,a great range of movement.

tangular cross section, adapted to provide a large bearing surfaceagainst the spring seats and to increase the strength and spring tensionof the relatively small spring which is used with the mounting; theprovision of a particularly effective means adapted to securely hold ajoint member to a casing; and other features which will hereinafterappear.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a side view of a mounting embodying thepresent invention. F'fiFig. 2 is a rear view of the mounting shown in g.l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the mounting shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate details of the mounting shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view, illustrating a modiflcation of theinvention.

Fig. 'l is a view illustrating a detail of the modification shown inFig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating anothermodification of the present invention.

1 Before describing the present improvements and mode of operationthereof in detail it should be understood that the invention is notlimited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown inthe accompanying drawing, which are merely illustrative of the presentpreferred embodiments, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments, and the phraseology employed is-for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation.

Referring more particularly to the drawing and first to Figs. 1 through5, there is shown for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of thepresent inventiona mounting 20 providing a substantially universalsupport for an automobile accessory, especially a rearview mirror II, ona bracket in the form of a supporting'arm 22.

As is usual in devices of thls type, the mirror ll includes a reflectingmember 23 suitably held A feature of the present invention is the pro- Ivision of a locking means in the threaded com I nection between the balland socket members of a mounting.

Other features include: the provision in a ball and socket mounting fora mirror or the like of a helically disposed spring strip having a recina casing 24 to which by a universal or substantially universalconnecting means 25 there is secured the supporting arm 22. Ofimportance, however, the universal connecting means 25 provided by thepresent invention is such that it not onlypermits a wide range ofadjustment between the mirror and the supporting mama it is especiallyeffective in maintaining the mirror in any given positionof adjustmentonce it has been moved thereto. r

In thus providing this advantageous universal connecting means asuitable opening 26, preferably off center relative to the mirror, isformed in the casing. Extending into this opening there is a tubularshank portion 21 of a swivel stud ,28 which is securely fixed relativetothe casing by peened or rolled over portion 23 at the free end of thetubular shank overlying and engaging superposed shakeproof washers 30 onthe inside of the casing, and by a peripheral shoulder 3| on the studand overlying a spacing and support ing member 32 of washerlike formlocated on the shank portion and engaging the outer side 01' the%casing. It will be readily appreciated that the assembly of the swivelstud and the casing is effected prior to the insertion of the reflectingmember 23 in the latter. Preferably, and as shown. in order to provide amore advantageous locking between the swivel stud and the casing theshakeproof washers 30 are-of the type including radially extending andangularly deformed fingers 33.

Connecting the swivel stii with "sii'pporting arm is a cap member 34,the closed end of which provides internal bearing surfaces 35 forengaging a ball-like member 36 provided on the end of the supporting arm22 extending through a slot 3'! formed in the side wall of the cap andextending from adjacent the closed end thereof to the open end thereof.For maintaining the cap member 34 in association with the swivel stud 28there is provided a connecting collar 38 having internal threads 39formed therein adapted to engage with external threads 40 formed on thecap member 34, and having an inwardly extending peripheral flange 4| atone end adapted to be confined in an annular recess 42 defined betweenthe spacing member 32 and an outwardly extending peripheral flange 43 onthe swivel stud. With this construction, it will be appreciated, byproperly proportioning the flange 4| and the recess 42,'the casing andswivel stud as a unit may be readily rotated relative to the connectingcollar and the cap as a unit.

' For maintaining the ball-like member 36 in engagement with the bearingsurfaces 35 there is provided within the cap a holding or floatingbearing member 44. One sideof the member 44 is formed with a bearingsurface 45 forengaging the ball-like member, and the opposite side isengaged by a preferably helically disposed spring strip 46 seated on anannular surface 41 on the swivel stud 28. The spring strip serves toyieldingly urge the holding member and balllike member toward thebearing surfaces 35. A contractible or yielding socket is thus providedfor gripping the ball-like member. vAdvantageously the swivel stud isformed witha spring centering extension 48 which projects upwardlywithin the spring.

Preferably and advantageously the helically disposed spring strip 46 isformed of rectangular as distinguished from circular cross section. Withthe use of a spring strip of rectangular and preferably square crosssection increased spring tension and strength are provided in the springwhich must be small enough for confinement in a relatively small spacewithin the cap. This is of importance because despite its small size thespring must withstand much vibration and jolting, must be suificientlystrong to effectively maintain the holding member 44 against theballlike member 36, and should have a long effective lifenotwithstanding the metallic fatigue producing influences of vibrationand jolting. Moreover, because of the rectangular cross section an"th"bearing'surfaceon the holding member to increased bearing surface isprovided between the spring and the holding member 44 on the one 'handand between the spring and the annular tive to the supporting arm notonly by movement of the cap on the ball-like member but also by rotatingmovement of the mirror and swivel stud relative to. the connectingcollar 38. Because of the utilization of the spring 46 the balllikemember is held sufficiently firmly in the socket prov idedby the capseating bearing and turning the mirror and the swivel stud relative tothe collar and cap. At the same time, because of the yielding nature ofthe spring any desired rotative adjustment of the mirror and the swivelstud may be readily affected. Due to the fact that the spring 'possessessubstantial strength, adjustment of the mirror by means of either theball and socket joint or the swivel joint may be effected withoutadversely affecting the setting ing means between the collar and cap. Asshown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4 this locking means may be, andpreferably is, provided by forming a distorted or outwardly projectingportion 49 in the threaded section of the cap. The disposition of thisprojecting portion is such that it will not engage the collar until thelatter and the cap have been substantially screwed together. Furtherscrewing up of the cap and collar by a suitable tool such as a wrench,however, will cause the projecting portion to frictionally engage orbite into the internal threads on the collar, thus effectively lockingthe collar and the cap against adversely becoming loosened relative toeach other, due to vibration or to the normal adjustments of the mirror.While the provision of the projecting portion does serve to effectivelylock or bind the collar and cap relative to each other, the locking ofthe collar and the cap is such that if for any reason it should bedesired to disassemble these elements or to further screw up the cap andcollar, as if it should be desired to adjust the compression of thespring, this may be gcclomplished' by employing a wrench or other Ifdesired and as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a modified form of locking meansbetween the collar and cap may be provided, by slotting a portion of theholding collar wall to form a finger pennittbemmmflngllp-mldedbythemiinvention to be readily associated with dimmorhuenthmuhthueesupporhnotbemtlfllytormedwithubfll-llhemunbernntheendtbereol.

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5. In a mmmflng of the class described 101' cementing 1:. vehicleaccessory member such. as

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mounted for rotating movement on said swivel stud; and inter-engagingmeans on said cap and said collar for maintaining the same againstadverse unscrewing relative to each other.

DANIEL E. REED.

